A landmark contribution to research on Mesoamerica, updated and expanded.

Conquest and Survival in Colonial Guatemala examines the impact of Spanish conquest and colonial rule on the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, a frontier region of Guatemala adjoining the country’s northwestern border with Mexico. While Spaniards penetrated and left an enduring mark on the region, the vibrant Maya culture they encountered was not obliterated and, though subjected to considerable duress from the sixteenth century on, endures to this day.

This fourth edition of George Lovell’s classic work incorporates new data and recent research findings and emphasizes native resistance and strategic adaptation to Spanish intrusion. Drawing on four decades of archival foraging, Lovell focuses attention on issues of land, labour, settlement, and population to unveil colonial experiences that continue to affect how Guatemala operates as a troubled modern nation. Acclaimed by scholars across the humanities and social sciences, Conquest and Survival in Colonial Guatemala remains a seminal account of the impact of Spanish colonialism in the Americas and a landmark contribution to Mesoamerican studies.

"A careful craftsman has produced a gem of a book." American Ethnologist."Lucid and insightful, particularly suitable as an introduction to the study of Latin American historical geography." The Geographical Review."Historical geography at its best." Hispanic American Historical Review."George Lovell's work opens a new chapter in the historical geography of Central America." Anuario de Estudios Centroamericanos."Historical geography at its best, this work reflects the high level of both the scientific and literary talent of its author." Colonial Period"George Lovell's book opens a new chapter in the historical geography of Central America." Anuario de Estudios Centroamericanos"George Lovell is a man of imagination and a writer of considerable talent. He is also a fine researcher, deeply respectful of the rules of evidence yet capable of seeing, and helping us to see, the human lives behind documents and dry statistics." Ronald Wright, author of Time Among the Maya"This is an excellent book in all respects." Lovell's book remains an important resource on Guatemala and in the impact of the Spanish presence on The New World's native populations." Journal of Cultural Geography"[An] outstanding contribution to the historical geography of Central America." Canadian Book Review"[An] excellent example of the wealth of information that can be gleaned from historical documents ... Lovell packs a considerable amount of information into this volume, touching on a wide range of issues which are not only important to this region but to the whole of Latin America ... [this book] is extremely well written, highly informative and interesting, and is the sort of book that anyone visiting Guatemala, academic or otherwise, who is interested in the history of this part of the world should be encouraged to read." Mountain Research and Development“Lovell’s monograph stands virtually alone … he rewrites Guatemala’s entire colonial history by placing evidence and protagonists from an overwhelmingly Maya periphery at its center. The result is a deeper and more balanced understanding of the people and forces that shaped Spanish colonialism. In this fourth edition, Lovell significantly expands his exploration of the challenges of historical research, in particular the problem of sources, or a lack thereof, and how to interpret them. He examines scholarly debates to demonstrate the cumulative, if tentative, nature of historical knowledge. Lovell does this most explicitly in his discussions of pre-Columbian demography, postconquest mortality, and competing interpretations of the epic struggle among Spaniards and rival indigenous groups during the conquest era. The result is a historical geography that is both engaging to read and brimming with scholarly insight.” The Americas“By addressing what some models considered a periphery of a periphery of a periphery, Lovell brought some balance to a colonial historiography that remained heavily weighted toward urbanized, resource-rich areas such as central Mexico. The new edition is welcome for many reasons. As many scholars have turned away from empirical approaches in favor of cultural interpretation, the hard data sets derived from social history and historical geography remain essential. The fourth edition, moreover, integrates many of the most relevant insights from recent scholarship, especially those deriving from indigenous Guatemalan texts. Yet far from challenging Lovell’s original emphasis on persistence, they carry his conclusion forward.” Latin American Research Review

W. George Lovell is professor of geography at Queen’s University and visiting professor in Latin American history at the Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville, Spain.

Figures ixPreface xiPlates xx

1 Introduction: Geography and the Past 3

PART ONE: THE REGIONAL SETTING2 Physical and Human Geography 11

PART TWO: CONTACT AND CONQUEST, 1500-15413 Land and Life on the Eve of Spanish Conquest 314 Conquest and Subjugation by Imperial Spain 535 The Native Population at Spanish Contact 75

PART THREE: THE COLONIAL EXPERIENCE, 1541-18216 In Pursuit of Order: Congregación and the Administration of Empire 837 Economic Demands and Ethnic Relations: Spanish Control of the Native Population 1088 Working the Land: Landholding Patterns and the Agricultural Economy 1339 Collapse and Recovery: Demographic Change in the Native Population 15710 Conclusion: Refuge in the Mountains 187